The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1887-02-17
PRICE 5 CENTS.
THE LAND OF THE SKY.
The Valley Of the Noon Day SUM-
Its Beautiful Scenery.

It's Beaut11ul scenery.
Through the courtesy of Messrs
Brooks & Co., the publishers of "The
Heart of the Alleghanies," an enter
tanning publication descriptive West
ern North Carolina, we are enabled to
present to our readers a view of the
Valley of the Noon Day Sun, accom-
panied by brief extract from the
work mentioned above.
about one mile below Miller's is
spot eminently characteristic of the
Nantihala's scenery. The valley has
narrowed to canon. The road runs
through dense wood rfot a rock is ex-
posed under the trees, or on the per-
pendicuiar faces of the mountains.
4ou seem to be in great deep we'll
Only a small circle OF sky is visible
In the course of its windings. the
road at length is crowded into the
river and fording is necessary There
Is no danger, unless the water is high
from q freshet and there is nothing to
dread i'll the passage, unless you are
on foot In the latter case YOU must
wade. The water is too deep for roll
ing up your pantaloons, but your up
/ per garments may be kept on and dry,
unless the swift current aud slippery
rocks conspire to give you gentle
ducking. The river is quite wide at
this only ford on the valley road.
From mid stream long stretch of
river Is visible Usually shilnmering
sunlight lies on the ripples down its
II n~,1l L.. I
surface by the banks. The green trees
lean loving y over it, and a soft breeze
as constant in its blowing as the flow
ing of the water, will fan your face
a fascinating solltariness pervades the
picture and this was enhanced, when
we saw it, by a group Of three deer.
a buck and two does, which, with the
antlered monarch in the lead, had
just left the forest and was standing
knee-deep in the icy water at some
} distance from our point of observation
a moment they stood there with erect
ed heads looking toward us; and then
with quick movement, regained the
nearest bank and disappeared into the
. wild wood.
, If the traveller is observant, he viii.
f notice, soon after passing the ford, a
long dug-out fastened to the bank at
the end of a beaten path; and between
the trees see lonely cabin on the op-
posite side of the river. The dug out
and a slippery ford near by, are the
only links connecting the cabins occu-
pants with a road. The spot appears
! too isolated to be either pleasant 0,
romantic. One of the many fish traps
seen IL all the mountain rivers Is nea.
this cabin. 1t is built, like they all
are, in shallow reach of the river
1t consists Of low V shaped dam, con-
> structed of either logs or rocks, with
; angle pointing down stream. The
volume of the water pours through the
= angle where is arranged series of
Stats, with openings between large
. enough TO admit the passage of fish
:. into box set below for its receptacle
- Every day the owner paddles his canoe
- out to the angle of the dam, and empt-
!: les the contents of the box into the
/ boat.
Near the head of one OF the islands
of the Nantihala, the road IRON eve,
Stecoah mountains appears On the op
rs poslle Dank, ana Dy Il Wlde IOrO feach
,r es the main road. By the Stecoai
n mountain highway, it is twenty miles
d to Robbinsville in the center Of Gra
@. ham county.
# After this slight depression, let u.
Il turn to the Nantihala. \ short dis
If tance from the Stecoah highway lord
~ the river emties into the Little Ten
1r nessec. Just before reaching tha
n point, the road divergcs from besid'
!. the CRYSTAL current tie wiley Wilen!